Alleluia LK 4:18 R. Alleluia, alleluia. The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 4:21-30 Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying: "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'" And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.
FAUSTI: He presents Himself as the fulfillment of the "Word of Grace", which brings God's blessing and fulfills the promise. The evangelist wants to bring his reader to meet this Word of Grace announced "Today". It has its roots in the past - the promise of Isaiah and the figures of Elijah and Elysée - and it is actualized "today", in the Eternal Today of God, which has been realized once and for all in Jesus and is always actualized whenever the Word is announced in His Name. With Him, the time of promise is closed and the time of reality is opened. The time is finally "fulfilled". The eyes are now fixed on Him, in whom the Word becomes flesh and the Book becomes history. It is the "Gospel", the Good News that the One who realizes it has come among us. The listeners of Jesus are before the One who fulfills every promise. The whole Gospel of Luke will be a listening to His Word, which makes us contemporaneous with Him; in the obedience of faith, we enter into salvation. Jesus is the perfect listener who fulfills the Will of the Father: His Word in Him becomes reality and life, His today. At its turn, whoever listens to Jesus and makes His Word, finds himself living in the same "today" and becomes part of His family. Jesus, in His powerful proclamation, realizes salvation, which becomes present to everyone who listens to it. The Word of Jesus is called the "Word of Grace. In Him, God's grace and benevolence became visible and working. But there is an insurmountable scandal, which will have the cross as its fruit. Such a scandal wouldn't have been lesser even if they were known that the One whom they thought to know was not the son of Joseph, but the Son of God!That God who promised to save man because He loves him, He saved him by assuming his own flesh. It was not sufficient for Him to give His salvation: He gave Himself as Savior, joining Himself to His creature. Man cannot understand this; but it is plan of God, who, being Love, wants to freely unite Himself to His people. Man can only accept it in faith, keeping his astonished eyes fixed on Jesus, the perfect fulfillment of the Word of the Father. Instead of they open themselves up in faith and let themselves be involved in God's gift, His own close themselves up to what they know about Him and demand from Him. The knowledge and claim of the flesh preclude faith. This faith is obeying to God and following Him to know Him, it is not knowing Him and taming Him to be obeyed. Such a claim goes against the essence of God Who is gift. No gift can be claimed, it would be destroyed. The refusal of Jesus is the same as that of the prophets, who could only operate where there was no claim to God's intervention. There the gift has found hands to be received. The cross and salvation offered to all is prefigured, because "every flesh will see the salvation of God". Jesus is rejected by His ones own. He was full of the Holy Spirit, his own are full of anger. In the beginning there is already the prediction of the final. We are on way of His tumultuous elimination, outside the city, which the Gospel tells us, and of the repulsion of His Announcement, narrated in the Acts. In the "his ones " of Nazareth, more than Israel, one should see the"his ones" of all times, and in concrete terms the Church itself of the Gentiles, to whom Luke addresses himself. It is the same "Today" to be received or refused. Jesus, "passed among them, walked", miraculously crosses the crowd of enemies. He does not remain prey to the wickedness of men. It is a foreboding of the Resurrection of the One who continues His journey among us, "benefiting and healing all those who are under the power of satan, for God is with Him" (Acts 10:38).
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 72 Reading 1 JER 1:4-5, 17-19 The word of the LORD came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
But do you gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you. Be not crushed on their account, as though I would leave you crushed before them; for it is I this day who have made you a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land: against Judah's kings and princes, against its priests and people. They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD. Responsorial Psalm PS 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-17 R. (cf. 15ab) I will sing of your salvation. In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me, and deliver me; incline your ear to me, and save me. R. I will sing of your salvation. Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety, for you are my rock and my fortress. O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked. R. I will sing of your salvation. For you are my hope, O Lord; my trust, O God, from my youth. On you I depend from birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength. R. I will sing of your salvation. My mouth shall declare your justice, day by day your salvation. O God, you have taught me from my youth, and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds. R. I will sing of your salvation. Reading 2 1 COR 12:31—13:13 Brothers and sisters: Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way.
If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, It is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Alleluia LK 4:18
RispondiEliminaR. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 4:21-30
Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying:
"Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?"
He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb,
'Physician, cure yourself,' and say,
'Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'"
And he said, "Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.
FAUSTI: He presents Himself as the fulfillment of the "Word of Grace", which brings God's blessing and fulfills the promise. The evangelist wants to bring his reader to meet this Word of Grace announced "Today".
RispondiEliminaIt has its roots in the past - the promise of Isaiah and the figures of Elijah and Elysée - and it is actualized "today", in the Eternal Today of God, which has been realized once and for all in Jesus and is always actualized whenever the Word is announced in His Name.
With Him, the time of promise is closed and the time of reality is opened.
The time is finally "fulfilled". The eyes are now fixed on Him, in whom the Word becomes flesh and the Book becomes history. It is the "Gospel", the Good News that the One who realizes it has come among us. The listeners of Jesus are before the One who fulfills every promise.
The whole Gospel of Luke will be a listening to His Word, which makes us contemporaneous with Him; in the obedience of faith, we enter into salvation.
Jesus is the perfect listener who fulfills the Will of the Father: His Word in Him becomes reality and life, His today. At its turn, whoever listens to Jesus and makes His Word, finds himself living in the same "today" and becomes part of His family. Jesus, in His powerful proclamation, realizes salvation, which becomes present to everyone who listens to it.
The Word of Jesus is called the "Word of Grace. In Him, God's grace and benevolence became visible and working. But there is an insurmountable scandal, which will have the cross as its fruit.
Such a scandal wouldn't have been lesser even if they were known that the One whom they thought to know was not the son of Joseph, but the Son of God!That God who promised to save man because He loves him, He saved him by assuming his own flesh. It was not sufficient for Him to give His salvation: He gave Himself as Savior, joining Himself to His creature. Man cannot understand this; but it is plan of God, who, being Love, wants to freely unite Himself to His people. Man can only accept it in faith, keeping his astonished eyes fixed on Jesus, the perfect fulfillment of the Word of the Father.
Instead of they open themselves up in faith and let themselves be involved in God's gift, His own close themselves up to what they know about Him and demand from Him. The knowledge and claim of the flesh preclude faith.
This faith is obeying to God and following Him to know Him, it is not knowing Him and taming Him to be obeyed. Such a claim goes against the essence of God Who is gift.
No gift can be claimed, it would be destroyed.
The refusal of Jesus is the same as that of the prophets, who could only operate where there was no claim to God's intervention. There the gift has found hands to be received.
The cross and salvation offered to all is prefigured, because "every flesh will see the salvation of God".
Jesus is rejected by His ones own. He was full of the Holy Spirit, his own are full of anger.
In the beginning there is already the prediction of the final.
We are on way of His tumultuous elimination, outside the city, which the Gospel tells us, and of the repulsion of His Announcement, narrated in the Acts.
In the "his ones " of Nazareth, more than Israel, one should see the"his ones" of all times, and in concrete terms the Church itself of the Gentiles, to whom Luke addresses himself.
It is the same "Today" to be received or refused.
Jesus, "passed among them, walked", miraculously crosses the crowd of enemies.
He does not remain prey to the wickedness of men.
It is a foreboding of the Resurrection of the One who continues His journey among us, "benefiting and healing all those who are under the power of satan, for God is with Him" (Acts 10:38).
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
RispondiEliminaLectionary: 72
Reading 1 JER 1:4-5, 17-19
The word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
But do you gird your loins;
stand up and tell them
all that I command you.
Be not crushed on their account,
as though I would leave you crushed before them;
for it is I this day
who have made you a fortified city,
a pillar of iron, a wall of brass,
against the whole land:
against Judah's kings and princes,
against its priests and people.
They will fight against you but not prevail over you,
for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm PS 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-17
R. (cf. 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Reading 2 1 COR 12:31—13:13
Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.
But I shall show you a still more excellent way.
If I speak in human and angelic tongues,
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy,
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
It is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.